By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE Under cloudless skies at Scott Stadium, the University of Virginia football team wrapped up spring practice Saturday. But the work continues for the Cavaliers and their first-year head coach, Tony Elliott.

Four months in, I feel like Im about where I expected, Elliott said after the Blue-White Game. I thought that the majority of the guys were going to buy in, but I was still going to have a couple that were skeptical and kind of one foot in the water. And Ive got a couple of those. And really that was my last message to the guys just now: Hey, the coaches are getting ready to go on the road. This is about to be discretionary time. Weve got to finish academically and then weve got to come back and its on you guys to become a team. I was really just challenging those guys that have one foot in the water to just jump on in.

With the coaches out recruiting, the players will have to push themselves until the summer strength and conditioning program starts.

It is on us right now, said linebacker Nick Jackson, one of UVAs captains last season. I definitely think weve got guys that are 100 percent in, and were working every day to get everybody in. So weve got the offseason right now where everybody is going on their own right now, theres really no accountability, but theres accountability to your [teammates]. So I think a lot of guys are gonna come back ready to play after this spring. I think theres a lot of energy around the program and a lot of energy around what everyones trying to do, and I think that its gonna pay off when we get back in the summer.

Preceding the intrasquad scrimmage Saturday was the Wahoo Walk, a program tradition that Elliott revived this spring. Fans and UVA cheerleaders greeted the Cavaliers when the team arrived at Scott Stadium.

I was really, really pleased with the attendance at the Wahoo Walk, Elliott said. That was pretty cool, just the excitement, the energy coming into the into the stadium. I think the guys really, really liked that. I saw some smiles, how they were excited.

Virginias lack of depth at several positions, most notably quarterback and the offensive line, meant some players had to line for both teams in the Blue-White Game. That group included quarterback Brennan Armstrong, offensive tackles Jonathan Leech and Charlie Patterson, and kicker-punter Brendan Farrell. The Blue team won 23-0, with its points coming from running backs Amaad Foston and Perris Jones, wide receiver Malachi Fields, and Farrell.

Farrell kicked a 26-yard field goal and two extra points. Foston had a 3-yard touchdown run, and Fields caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jared Rayman. Jones contributed the games biggest play, a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half.

Im just proud overall of the effort, Elliott said. There was a lot of guys that played a lot of snaps all spring, not just today. Youre talking about eight, nine offensive linemen, but they never complained. They just worked. Im proud of Brennan. He made a decision to come back, and then some of his buddies decided not to come back. But he still stuck with it, and he had to do the best that he could, and I saw him just lead and grow as a leader and challenge himself to get better in the little things. So theres a lot to be proud of.

The Hoos went through 15 spring practices with a patchwork offensive line, and there werent many holes for running backs Mike Hollins and Foston on Saturday. Even so, the respective offensive coordinators for this gameDes Kitchings (Blue) and Taylor Lamb (White)continued to call running plays. The new coaching staff doesnt want the Hoos to rely as heavily on the pass as they did in recent seasons.

Its a mindset, Elliott said. As Ive said, we want to be balanced, and for us its not just statistically balanced, its a mindset.

Armstrong, a dangerous runner, was off-limits to tacklers Saturday, and that made life easier for the defense. But Elliott said he wanted to see the backs compete, and I thought there were a couple of situations that the offensive line did good enough just to get them to a one-on-one, and we didnt win those one-on-ones in the first half. So thatd be a great opportunity for us to go back and challenge those guys A great running back, he makes the offensive line right. And I think these guys are capable. Theyve just got to develop that mindset that I dont care how its blocked, Im going to get 4 yards. Thats my mindset. And so we wanted to force that.

Hollins carried nine times for 19 yards, and Foston gained 37 yards on 14 carries. Jones, who played in the second half, when most of the starters were on the sidelines, finished with 129 yards on nine rushes.

The Cavaliers commitment to running the ball was evident in their first 14 practices, too. With running backs Ronnie Walker Jr. and Jones sidelined for most of that time with injuries, Hollins and Foston took countless handoffs.

Repetition after repetition, said Foston, a rising sophomore. With all the running plays weve been doing, its an adjustment, because we didnt run the ball as much last year, but it feels great as a running back to know that were going to get the ball a lot this year, and were expecting to run the ball. Thats what Coach Elliott is expecting. Its going to be a fun season for us.

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UVA Football | Elliott Pleased with Hoos' Progress - Virginia University